A Cross of Flames
by Forever Fearless
Summary: He followed her stealthily for a few weeks now. Koenma wanted constant updates on her every move, reports on her progress, and statistics on her abilities. She came out of nowhere, and the knowledge of whether she was human or demon had been determined.
1. Can't turn back

Disclaimer: I do not own any characters from the Yu Yu Hakusho.

A Cross of Flames

He followed her stealthily for a few weeks now. Koenma wanted constant updates on her every move, reports on her progress, and statistics on her abilities. She came out of nowhere, and the knowledge of whether or not she was a human or demon had yet to be determined.

It was part of his mission to develop that conclusion; however, she was making it very difficult to be tracked down.

"Koenma, sir. Why not send Yusuke on this mission?"

"Forgive me for not informing you earlier, Botan, but I've personally sent Yusuke on a different mission of more importance. I've come to the conclusion that after what has happened in the past that Yusuke should be the last of the spirit detectives. He needs to settle down with Keiko."

"Of course, but why did you send Hiei on a mission?"

Koenma looked up from his paperwork to the bubbly girl in front of him.

"It's simple. Yusuke has Keiko, Kuwabara has Yukina, Kurama and Shizuru, and I have you," he said with a smile.

"Now Hiei needs someone," Botan added.

"Precisely," Koenma concluded.

'I've got her this time,' Hiei thought.

He watched from above like every other time he followed her. Her long brown hair with purple highlights cascaded down her body and would sway in the direction she moved.

Her eyes were bright blue and would glow with immense power when she was about to take down an enemy. She was beautiful to say the least, and with a complimenting dark blue fighting kimono to emphasize her body, she could have been a goddess.

"I know you're watching me," said the woman.

Hiei jumped down from his position in the tree with grace, and kept his composure placid as always.

"What do you want?" she asked, crossing her arms.

"Who are you?" Hiei asked with malice.

"Why do you wish to know?" she returned with a glare.

"I personally don't; however, I've been asked to gather information."

"Ha. And you want me to just spill my guts?"

Hiei didn't answer, only grinned calmly.

"Stop following me," she finished before disappearing.

"She slipped away again!"

"Why can't I just kill her, Koenma? This game is getting old."

"You've been tracking her for three weeks now and you've yet to gather any valuable

information. And no you can't kill her, she could help us," he lied.

"Whatever, I'm through with this."

"Hiei, wait! Oh man. That boy is worse than Yusuke."

"Koenma, sir. Do you still think this is such a good idea? I mean, she may be slaying demons, but Hiei might not-"

"Botan, drop the sir, and no. I still think this the perfect woman for him. He just needs to talk to her."

"You know, Hiei isn't the type of person to speak to others."

"I do know, but that's why I've had him gathering information. To anyone except you I'm going to play stupid about her. I know more than I've led him to believe. Don't doubt me Botan. I know what I'm doing."

"Of course."

"He'll come around, just let him be for now," Kurama interrupted, entering the room.

"Kurama! How are you and Shizuru doing?" Botan asked excitedly.

"We're doing fine. I'm graduating soon, but back to Hiei. He's going to analyze her from a distance, which is what Koenma is having him do now. Then after he's gathered all the information he needs he'll establish his thoughts. Don't expect them to be good; after all, this is Hiei we're talking about, and he doesn't do well with the opposite sex."

Botan laughed and glanced at Koenma to hint something, but he didn't catch on like Kurama had.

"I'll leave you two alone. Nice seeing you again," Kurama finished and exited the room.

'That fool, Koenma. Who does he think he is?' Hiei thought while sitting on the branch of a tree.

'And that stupid female always escaping without a trace. I'll find her again,' he assured himself before falling asleep.

Unbeknownst to Hiei the woman who had frequently slipped from his grasp was watching him closely and making her approach.

She sat in front of him and took in his appearance. Black hair, black clothes, and red eyes lay behind delicate lids.

'Everything about you is dark isn't it?' she thought.

He was seraphic in her point of view, and she couldn't take her eyes away from him. His strong facial features itched at her fingertips; she wanted to touch him.

Reaching out with a gentle hand she hesitated.

'You'll wake him, idiot,' she mentally scolded before noticing his bandaged arms. The bandages were no longer white, but were now a grungy red color.

'Dried blood? Who the hell is this demon?'

The memories of the previous day filtered through her thoughts.

"_Who are you?"_

"_Why do you wish to know?"_

"I don't."

'Silly boy, surely you could come up with a better answer than that.'

Hiei flinched suddenly and the mysterious girl tensed up.

"I'll find her," he said in his sleep.

The girl smiled to herself before she could no longer help it and brushed the back of her fingers down the side of his face.

Immediately Hiei awoke and withdrew his sword from his side, catching his perpetrator by the neck.

He was breathing heavily and poised for the kill, but slowly began to calm down when he saw who it was.

"You're dancing on a devils ground, girl," he threatened.

"If you're going to kill me, do it quickly. I hate pain."

Hiei sheathed his blade and leaned back against the tree.

"That'd be to easy."

The girl smiled once again at him and took the time to admire his beautiful eye color. She knew his eyes were red, but she didn't know of the longing that resided in them.

"Are you ever going to tell me your name?"

She watched him carefully as he did with her; they analyzed each other, and searched for a hint of attack. They found none.

"It's Shiori."

"Shiori," he repeated.

"Yes, and you are?"

"Hiei, and I'm assuming you're a human. I don't detect any demon traces in your scent," he said cockily.

Shiori smiled, "Do you think a demon would kill her own kind?"

Hiei continued his grinning, "Well, I think anyone with your power would kill anyone; after all, you've killed a few humans too."

"The humans I've killed were monsters. You can't deny that," she defended, flipping her hair over her shoulder.

"Koenma was right about you; you're an interesting girl indeed."

Shiori glanced at the sun and realized it was becoming late.

"Hmph. Sorry to break it to you, but I've got to run."

Hiei acted quickly. He grasped her shoulders and threw both of them off of the tree to the ground, pinning her underneath him.

"I don't think so. Not until you tell me how you've been getting away," he demanded.

Shiori smirked now and noticed that he was just as small as she was in body size.

"Well wouldn't you just love to know?" She replied sarcastically.

"Tell me or I'll kill you," he growled out, pushing all of his weight on her.

"Hiei."

Hiei stopped his attempt at crushing her for no reason known to him, and looked her in the eyes. He was mesmerized by her intense beauty and couldn't stop gazing at her.

"Stop it," she whispered, turning her face away from him.

"Stop what?" he questioned, confused almost.

"Stop looking at me," she squirmed.

"I could kill you and you ask me to stop looking at you? What the hell is wrong with you?" He yelled, grabbing her by the chin and forcing her to look at him.

"Get away from me!" She yelled back.

Hiei had yet to release her, but she was no longer screaming and kicking now.

Fiery anger burned in her eyes and Hiei removed his hands from her and crossed his arms, leaving him in a straddle over her body.

Shiori sat up as far as she could with her forearms supporting her.

"Damn you. What do you want from me?"

"I've told you what I want," he glared.

"Well," she grinned again, "I can't tell you, but I can show you."

"Hmp. Then do it," Hiei retorted egotistically as he kept a keen eye on her.

Her eyes began to glow that amazing blue color that always caught him off guard from afar and before he knew it she disappeared.

Completely dumfounded, Hiei blinked and stood to look around.

'Damn her! She was toying with me this whole time.'

Frustrated with the Shiori girl and himself, he left the forest he'd been camping out in to return to his friends.

"Keiko, are you ready to go yet?"

"Yes, Botan, but we have to wait for Shizuru, Yukina, and a friend of hers to get here," came her reply.

"What friend?"

Keiko descended the stairs and made her way to the couch in her living room.

"I think Yukina said her name was Shiori."

"Shiori?" Botan thought aloud. 'Isn't that the girl Koenma sent Hiei after?'

"To anyone except you I'm going to play stupid about her," she remembered him saying.

'Then I have no other choice than to play along as well,' she thought.

"How wonderful to have another companion tag along!" Botan exclaimed.

Walking into the room with Yukina and Shiori behind her, Shizuru added, "Yeah, wonderful for everyone who's not Kuwabara. He gets so jealous when she's around."

"How nice to meet all of you," Shiori greeted.

"Goodness you're pretty," Botan commented.

"Uh, thank you?" The girl squeaked.

"What inspired you to bring such a lovely friend Yukina?" Botan asked cheerfully.

"Actually, Shiori and I have been friends for a while now and she's never met my brother. I just thought today would be a good opportunity."

"That's great!" She smiled. 'But too bad you don't know that they know each other already, sort of.'

"We ready to go now?" Shizuru asked impatiently.

The other four girls replied simultaneously, "Yep!"

On their way to the mall to meet up with the guys Keiko, Botan, and Shizuru got caught in a conversation while Yukina and Shiori shared one of their own.

"So, how is it going with that stalker of yours?" Yukina giggled.

"Funny you should mention him, Uki. We crossed paths today in the forest outside of town. I was hunting a snake demon when I came across the boy."

"Did you two fight?"

Shiori laughed.

"Not really. I found him sleeping in a tree actually. He's got some very striking features. Anyways, being the type of person I am, I couldn't tolerate just looking at him, so I brushed my fingers down the side of his face."

"It sounds like you're developing a crush," Yukina giggled again.

"Don't be silly, Uki. He's gathering information on me. Not that I care, but it's distracting."

"Do you think he means any harm?"

"I'm not really sure. He catches me off guard on most days and that gives him plenty of opportunities to strike, but in the end I always slip away from him. Today was the first day he was actually able to touch me."

"What did he do?"

"Eh, it's not important, but he stared at me for a while. And you know how I feel about that."

"I don't see why that makes you uncomfortable. You're very pretty. You just need to learn to accept that. After all, you're still young."

"I guess you're right, but I'm young and self conscious."

Botan looked back at the other two females in their group and shouted, "Hey you two! Hurry it up!"

"Coming, Botan," the girls shouted back in unison.

"I don't see why I need to come with you idiots."

"Shut up, Shorty. Yukina says she wants you to meet somebody."

"Don't make me have to kick your ass Kuwabara," Hiei threatened.

"Now, Hiei it'll do you some good to hang out with your friends," Kurama offered.

"I wouldn't go as far as friends," he retorted back.

"Oh come off it. Besides, it's not like you have anything better to do. Koenma's told me that you can't keep track of that girl demon killer," Yusuke added.

"Did he now? I might just have to do something about that," Hiei hissed, glaring at Koenma.

Koenma put up his hands defensively and said, "Hey! It's true!"

Hiei crossed his arms and stuck out his chin in a defiant manor.

"Awe is the little man having trouble with the ladies?" Kuwabara teased and ruffled his short friends hair.

"Don't touch me," he growled again as he moved a few feet away.

"Hey guys it's the girls," Yusuke informed as they reached the food court.

"Yukina!" Kuwabara shouted.

As he made his way toward her he noticed that Shiori was sitting at the end of the table by herself, but he didn't really think anything of it and sat next to his girlfriend.

"I didn't know you were bringing her," he pouted.

"Don't be silly. I told you I was bringing a friend. She's my friend, and she could use some time away from her daily job," Yukina smiled.

"Yeah, yeah," he sulked when the two girls started talking to each other.

Having yet to reach the table, Kurama asked, "Who do you suppose the other attractive woman is?"

"I don't know. Friend of the girls I guess," Yusuke answered.

"From the looks of things she appears to be friends with Yukina," Koenma added.

Still angry about the predicament he found himself in, Hiei ignored his friends as they reached the table.

"Hey guys," Keiko greeted.

"Who's your friend?" Yusuke asked while he, Kurama, and Koenma took a seat.

"Oh," Botan started, "This is Yukina's friend, Shiori."

At the sound of her name Shiori looked up to meet everyone, but when her eyes landed on _him_ her eyes changed color for only a fraction of a second.

He was just as surprised as she was from the moment Botan had uttered the name.

They glared at each other momentarily before Hiei smirked and took a seat in front of her.

Regaining her composure, she said, "It's nice to meet all of you. I've heard great things about you from Yukina."

"Fancy that. I don't remember her telling me anything about you," he spat.

"Brother, be nice," Yukina defended.

"Brother? This is your brother?"

"Yes. This is Hiei. He is my twin I was telling you about."

"If it makes you feel any better," Kuwabara interjected, "I was just as surprised as you are when I found out."

On the other end of the table Kurama whispered to Koenma, "Do you suppose they know each other already?"

"To tell you the truth, that's the girl I've had him tracking these past few weeks," Koenma whispered back.

"She's very pretty," Shizuru and Botan commented, completely obvious to the conversation their boyfriends were having.

"She's very mysterious and powerful too," Koenma informed. "But none of you can tell Hiei that I know that."

Shiori continued to glare at her friend's brother when no one carried on a conversation with her.

Hiei couldn't help but support one of his grins while watching her sit in discomfort. He hadn't noticed it before, but she had two very light scars on her face. They were right above her left eyebrow in fact, and though the bangs of her hair hid them well, with his abilities and the small distance between them it was easy to see.

"I'm sorry Yukina, but I must go," Shiori announced politely.

"So soon?"

"Yes," she flinched, noticed by Hiei. "I've got that funny feeling again."

"Oh my, again? It was only two- well, all right then. I'll see you later," Yukina stopped herself.

"Bye."

Without anyone besides Yukina and Hiei noticing, Shiori disappeared.

"Yukina."

"Yes, Hiei?"

"How does she do that?"

"Do what," his sister asked innocently.

"Never mind. I'm leaving. I can't stand being around you fools any longer than need be."

Without another word Hiei vanished too.

'Stupid girl. Always slipping away from me, and even when it's not in battle. I won't let it happen again.'

Using his Jagan eye he followed her to the same forest where they had encountered each other earlier that day.

In a close by tree he could see her kneeling on the ground and clutching her stomach in obvious pain.

'What the hell?'

Drawing closer but still out of sight he couldn't figure out what was happening to her.

She screamed an ear-piercing scream and coughed up blood.

He winced at the high-pitched torture his ears received, but didn't fail to notice a snake demon approaching her rather quickly.

He watched in fascination as the girl put up a protective barrier around her, and yet continued to shriek in agony.

"It's no use you pathetic human girl. Your power is draining faster as you continue to use that barrier," the snake demon said.

"Do you think I don't know that, you miscreant?" She seethed, coughing up more blood.

'If I don't do something quick I'm going to die.'

Another sharp pain racked her body and she fell to the ground in a heap, losing her protection in the process.

Venom dripped off of the fangs of the demon as he poised them above the nearly unconscious Shiori.

Her eyes began to glow and very slowly her body faded away before becoming visible again.

Hiei did nothing but look on in horror as the snake sank his teeth into the defenseless girls body and became enraged that someone would attack another who was that vulnerable.

Another scream fell on deaf ears as Hiei quickly raced to her defense. He withdrew his sword and slashed at the demon many times until it fell in pieces at his feet.

After sheathing his sword again he turned and knelt down next to the obviously ill girl.

"What's the matter with you?" He demanded.

He received no answer and rolled her onto her back. Her once blue eyes were now dull and almost lifeless. In addition to the change in eye color, her skin had started to turn an off shade of green.

"You've been poisoned," he realized. "Tough luck," he said, standing and walking away.

Every step he took made him more frustrated as he tried to leave her, but something ate at him.

Infuriated, he turned back to Shiori, picked her up, and tossed her over his shoulder. He wrapped one arm around her legs and moved the other so he could rest his hand on her lower back.

"Always stuck with the babysitting," he muttered before taking off.

Miles into the same forest Hiei located his home and rushed inside the small shrine. As delicately as he knew how he set her down on a futon, and then retrieved a bucket of cold water and a cloth.

After placing the cool washcloth on her forehead he dialed the number to Kuramas cell phone.

"How nice of you to call, Hiei. What's up?"

"I'm assuming you're through with your little escapade, so I need you to come to my shrine right now."

"Why the urgency?"

"Don't dottle you fool, and bring one of your curing concoctions."

"What am I curing?"

"Snake venom," Hiei concluded and hung up.

Returning to the girl's side he rinsed the cloth and replaced it again.

"If you can hear me, I'm not a pervert and I'm not taking advantage of you, but I need to remove your clothing to cleanse your wounds."

No reply came from Shiori; not that he expected one, and he continued with the deed.

After stripping her of her clothes he wrapped a blanket around her upper and bottom half, leaving only her mid section visible.

Two large teeth marks graced her abdomen and he couldn't help but pity her.

Despite the fact that she was a good fighter and had the power of invisibility, which he just found out, she was still a human woman, and like all others, she was fragile.

"Hmp. I can't believe I'm thinking and feeling such things," he said aloud.

"What things?" Kurama interrupted.

"You're very slow. She could have died by now," Hiei barked.

"Who?"

"Shiori."

"Shiori's the one who has been poisoned?"

"Yes. Now treat her so my conscience can rest easily."

"Have you developed feelings for her or something? Saving a human girl is not like you."

Hiei stared in disbelief at Kurama and gave him a stern look of disapproval. "Don't be foolish. She's one of Yukina's friends, and I don't feel like taking responsibility for her death. Yukina has been through enough."

"I see. In that case, I can not help you."

"Excuse me? Why the hell not?"

"Because I don't want to be responsible for her at all. In addition to that I'm not fond of being a pervert, which you apparently are," Kurama stated as he nodded in Shiori's direction.

Hiei clenched his fists and shouted, "I'm not a pervert! I was waiting for you to get here so I could disinfect her bite marks."

Kurama laughed at his friend's defensiveness and reached into his pocket for the necessary medicines.

"Of course you were. Anyways, here is the medicine to make her better," he said, tossing a packet of powdered meds. "And this is ointment for the wound. Apply it often," he informed and tossed it too.

"You can't expect me to do this," Hiei said seriously.

"I wouldn't have expected you to have saved her." Kurama smiled and walked out the door.

Hiei glared at the doorway where his so-called-friend once stood and sighed angrily in defeat.

'Damn you, you foolish human.'

He filled a tall glass with water and stirred in the packet of medicinal herbs.

"I hate you," he vented.

He knelt next to her and used one of his knees to rest under her neck and one of his hands to cradle her head as he brought the glass to her lips.

The liquid in the cup slowly became nothing and he threw it against the wall to watch it shatter.

Shiori's hair was everywhere at this point and Hiei was forced to tie it up. He ran his fingers through it a few times before giving up.

"Screw it. I don't care."

Picking up the ointment Kurama had so graciously given him he dabbed a bit onto the infected area.

Finishing the task as quickly as possible he washed his hands and placed another blanket over her.

Having to no longer tend to her, he rested against the wall with one leg close to his chest and the other outstretched in front of him.

'Now that that's over with… Time for some much needed sleep.'


	2. To the rescue

Hiei opened his crimson eyes the next morning to see Shiori in the same position he had left her the night before.

"Oh no."

He shot across the room and rested his ear to her chest. A sigh of relief escaped him when a faint heartbeat was detected.

"Great. Another day of babysitting," he said to silent room.

He grabbed the ointment and removed the blanket again to apply it.

Her original skin color was returning and a tattoo was now visible around her naval.

He had scene the marking once before, but paid no heed to its meaning. It was a fire symbol and he couldn't help but trace it with his fingers.

"Snap of out of it, moron. She's just a human woman," he lectured himself.

Immediately he stopped what he was doing and finished the task he had set out to perform.

'She's messing with your head.'

He looked at her face again to study her; she really was pretty if nothing else. Her hair was tousled and strewed around her, and it brought a small smile to his face. He gently pushed a few strands out of her face and behind her ears. It was soft under his touch, and he didn't care if it was unlike him; he played with it.

A twist here and a twirl there sent him into his own little world, but when reality finally decided to pull him back he dropped the locks of hair abruptly.

'This is stupid. I'm going to train,' he thought.

He covered her again and stood. Walking out of the bare room he slid the door shut and descended four steps to the outside deck.

It was a breezy day on the mountainside and he was glad to be secluded.

"I could kill her and no one would even know it," he muttered.

"No one except me," came Kurama's voice.

"How long have you been standing there? Long enough, right?" Hiei asked coldly.

Kurama walked toward his friend and took a seat in front of him before asking, "What came over you, Hiei?"

"I don't know what you're talking about," he answered defensively as usual.

"Hiei."

Hiei took a seat in his normal fashion against one of the shrines pillars and across from Kurama.

"I can't tell you because I don't know. She was lying there. Helpless. I was angry. I tried to leave her there, but I felt obligated to help her."

"I see," Kurama sighed.

"That's not all. When I first found her she had yet to be poisoned, but she was screaming in pain for reasons I don't know. She's very powerful Kurama, but something happened to her yesterday and it caused her a lot of suffering. I took pity on her you could say," Hiei finished.

Kurama raised and eyebrow. "Only pity?"

Hiei glared. "What else could it be?"

"It could be a lot of things, though I think it's best for you to figure it out on your own."

"What are you talking about?"

Kurama smiled to himself and replied, "You'll know soon enough. In the mean time, you should be aware of the weather changes. The first snowfall is tonight."

"I won't be cold, so what do I care?"

"Maybe, but I'm sure your lady friend will be," Kurama informed as he stood. "I must be going. Shizuru is expecting me soon."

"Heh. I can't believe you fell for that simple girl," Hiei remarked.

"Love is strange. I'll get you some day too. Take care my friend," Kurama waved.

Walking back inside with only a glance back, Hiei muttered, "As if."

It had been seven days and Shiori had yet to awaken.

Growling in frustration Hiei sprang from the doorway and over to her body. He was sick of caring for her while all she did was sleep, and he was tired of chopping wood he needed to make a fire. Truth be told, he told himself it was part of his practice and skill building just so he'd keep doing it.

He kneeled next to her and then grabbed her by the shoulders.

"Wake up already!"

He shook her roughly before slapping her once.

"You stupid, foolish, girl. You can't sleep forever!" He shouted in her face.

Silence was his result again and he released her.

"To hell with you."

He sat cross-legged with a forearm on each knee and watched the snowfall outside the room's window with help of the moonlight.

"Your skin is so cold," he whispered.

Knowing he'd receive no reply he moved to the fireplace to heat the room again. The flames lapped at the wood and heated his skin significantly, and he turned to look at Shiori once more. The firelight illuminated her face, giving it some new character.

"Is this what that fool meant?" He asked despondently.

He poked the fire with a stick a few times before a voice rang in his ears. Craning his neck over his shoulder he saw Shiori trying to sit up and he moved to help her.

"Water," she croaked.

Not really liking the situation as it was he ignored the urge to refuse and did as she asked and then sat silently and waited for her to speak.

"Thank you," was the first thing she said.

She tried to look around the room and then at herself, which was when she felt her lack of clothing, and pulled the blanket in her other hand over her more securely.

"Why am I practically naked?" She asked in embarrassment.

"To put it simply, you were bitten in the abdomen by a venomous snake demon and the only way to clean and treat you was to remove your clothing. And, before you go and freak out about the need to remove your bra, it's because it would have cut off your circulation," he explained.

"Your voice sounds familiar," she mumbled.

"Don't play stupid. You know who I am."

She set the cup she was holding in one of her hands down and reached out in the direction of his voice.

"I can't see you," she admitted.

When she finally came into contact with him it was with his shoulder. He snatched her hand up instantly and glared at her.

"How can you not see me?"

She bowed her head in shame it seemed before finally deciding to answer him.

"I'm blind."

He dropped her hand as quickly as he had caught it and she continued up his neck. She traced the outline of his jaw with her fingertips then ran them across his lips before she started back down his neck. When she reached his hand she could feel a piece of fabric wrapped around it and suddenly realized who he was. Removing her hands she spoke softly.

"You're Hiei."

"Yes. How did you know," he asked mockingly.

"You still have those bandages and your voice finally clicked."

"Wonderful. Now tell me what the hell is wrong with you. Why are you blind and why were you screaming bloody murder seven days ago?"

"It's been seven days?"

"Yes, now start talking," he commanded.

Shiori hesitated for a minute and brought herself to speak.

"I'm human and yet I've been granted the ability to become invisible and perform other tasks. I thought it was a gift at first, but as it turns out it's really a curse. Every time I go ghost I become weaker and weaker until eventually my body breaks down. I thought I could control it or at least harness the power in some way beneficial to me, but no amount of training has increased my strength enough to stop the pain. After I'm drained it usually takes ten days to recuperate."

"How does blindness fit into that?"

"It's only temporary. I should have my vision back tomorrow. It's part of the breakdown. And please, I beg you, do not watch me tomorrow as I wake," she pleaded.

"Why?"

She tried to look up at him after opening her eyes fully.

"My eyes will shed tears of blood."

He looked down at her in disbelief but decided that he didn't care.

"Whatever. I don't take orders from you but I'll do as you wish. I think I've invaded your privacy enough without your consent anyways. However, before you go and fall asleep again, tell me why you've got that flame tattoo."

She bit her lip, "I can't."

"Why not?" He fumed.

"I'm sorry but I can't tell you about it because it is not a tattoo and because you're of fire master descent," she muttered unhappily.

"I didn't ask for excuses. If you can't tell me why you have it then at least tell me who put it there. After babysitting you for so long I think you owe me some explanations," he barked.

Shiori gritted her teeth and held the blanket even tighter to her.

"It's part of the curse my stepfather placed on me," she began. "He's a terrible demon who married my mother; of course my mother and I didn't know it at the time. We fought constantly over things I believed to be important; yet, were the complete opposite to him. On my 15th birthday he gave me this power in an orb. I thought it was a peace offering but I was wrong. A few weeks after that, my mother died of a sudden illness; I think the bastard killed her," she sobbed quietly.

She held back the urge to cry and continued.

"Things happened with the new abilities and I'd mastered invisibility in a few weeks time. At that point I could tell that my stepfather was a demon and vowed to kill him and as many others, including humans, that I thought were evil.

"Have you killed him yet?" Hiei interrupted.

Shaking her head, Shiori let an angry tear escape down her cheek.

"If I kill him now I will die too."

Hiei watched as another bloody tear rolled down her cheek and he reached out to catch one. It crystallized just like his sisters tears did and he examined it more closely. A blue flame danced inside and something pulled on his hearts strings.

Without taking his eyes of the small sphere he asked confused, "I don't understand. How are you supposed to kill him?"

She brushed away the tears and pulled herself together before answering in sugarcoated malice, "It's cruel really. I either kill him now and die, or break this curse and let him live."

No longer looking at the blood crystal he lashed out at her, "Why would you let him live?"

"Because if the curse is gone then so are my powers," she cried angrily.

She heard her tears hit the floor and turned away from where she knew he was watching and lied back down.

"It doesn't matter," she muttered. "There's nothing anyone can do to save me."

He sat speechless as Shiori cried, admitted her defeat, and then fell asleep again. It angered him to know that she was giving up so easily, but it infuriated him even more to know that someone had so much power over her. He crushed the little ball in his hand.

'Yukina is friends with this girl, so she must know about the flame symbol and its relevance. I must know more about it.'

That thought in mind, Hiei moved away from the fireplace to the other side of the room and sat down in front of her. Like usual he leaned against the wall in his favorite position and fell asleep as well.

When Hiei awoke in the morning he found himself alone with nothing but a note and a blood fire sphere to entertain him.

Hiei,  
I'm sorry for being a burden, but thank you for your hospitality.

-Shiori

P. S. – Please don't follow me anymore.

He crumbled up the letter and tossed it into the fireplace. As he watched the smoldering ash ignite the defenseless paper he remembered that he had more important business to attend to and set out for Yukina's.

Hiei ascended the steps to the shrine Master Genkai had allowed Yukina to live in and quickly entered.

Kuwabara, who was sitting on a futon, was the first person he saw after opening the door.

"Where is Yukina," he asked urgently.

Kuwabara blinked a few times and then pointed at another doorway where Yukina stood holding a tray of tea. She smiled sweetly at her brother and moved across the room.

"Hiei. How nice of you to stop by. Have a seat," she offered.

He sat next to his red headed friend and waited patiently for his sister to sit as well.

"So what brings you here?" She asked cheerfully.

"I need," he paused, "some information."

Yukina set the tray down between them and began to pour three cups.

"What kind of information?"

Hiei looked at Kuwabara trying to determine if it was best to discuss the matter in front of him and eventually decided to get on with it.

"I need to know about flame seals."

"Oh. This wouldn't have anything to do with Shiori, would it?" She asked cautiously.

Kuwabara looked back and forth between the two and scratched his.

"Uh, I think I'll leave you two alone for a while," he said and stood up.

Hiei watched his friend leave the room and uttered a "thank you" before turning back to his sister.

"You knew I'd come."

Yukina sighed dreadfully, shaking her head, and thought of a good way to put everything into words.

"I found her, you know, three years ago in the spring. She was coughing up blood and screaming in pain before she fell silent and then slept for ten days," she said miserably.

"Tell me about the seal," he pressed.

Yukina fidgeted nervously where she sat, unsure of the reaction her brother may have.

"She doesn't want me to tell you," she finally blurted.

"I don't care what she wants. I want to know about it," he demanded.

"The seal locks the powers she has inside her body, and unless it is broken or her step father dies she will forever live in torment."

"How is it broken?"

"The only way to remove it is by using a fire technique, hence the flame symbol."

"Why couldn't she ask someone to perform the stupid technique? And, why couldn't she tell me that?" He asked haughtily.

"The only people the two of us know are you and her father, but I knew that you'd never agree. You'd have to be willing to shed your own blood, and I knew you wouldn't stand for that either. She just didn't want it to seem like she was asking you to break it for her."

Yukina shed a tear and clenched her fingers in helplessness.

"She couldn't ask you and now she's going to die," she cried.

"What are you talking about? She was fine yesterday," he said calmly, trying not to upset her any further.

"She stopped by this morning to say goodbye. She's going to kill her father."

"But why?"

"She doesn't want to endure the pain anymore."

"That stupid girl. How foolish," he exclaimed furiously.

He stood up abruptly and shook his fists in anger at his sides.

"That stupid, stupid bitch," he growled out.

"Hiei, calm down." Yukina tried to rationalize. "She's doing this with the best intentions for herself."

"Herself? What about me, and more importantly, what about you? Where is she?" he flipped out.

"She should be on her way to the wooded area by the cave that held the Kaki barrier."

In mid sentence Hiei deserted the room like a bat out of hell and left his sister to her confusion.

Kuwabara entered the room and hugged his girlfriend close to him.

"I've never seen him act that way," he admitted.

She was still looking at the doorway where he stood when an almost pleasant thought occurred to her.

"He's going to try and save her, Kuwabara."

"Maybe I should go and help," Kuwabara released her and Kurama entered the room.

"No," he said, looking in the distance. "This is one fight he needs to face alone."

He ran in a blind rage to the location Shiori was supposed to have been, and whether he was angry about the scenario or at himself he had yet to decide.

It didn't make sense to him. He barley cared about what happed to his companions. Why would she be any different? He just couldn't explain it because he didn't know, and that only increased his irritation. To top it all off, she was going to throw her life away before he had the chance to take it himself.

'Was it so hard to have asked a question? Even if I would have said no, at least she would have known my answer, but to just assume is so foolish.'

He didn't know why he felt it, but he knew that if she died it was going to hurt him.

When he reached the place outside the cave he used his Jagan eye to locate her and he spotted her a few hundred yards away. She was still standing for the most part, but was clutching her shoulder in denied pain. Her energy began to waiver and her defensive maneuvers were sloppy; she was almost out of strength.

Whenever she was finally in plain sight distance he called out to her.

"Shiori!"

Against her better judgment she turned to face him and was instantly slammed to the ground.

"You should know better than to turn your back in a fight, Shiori," her stepfather laughed psychotically.

She spit out a mouthful of blood and snapped back, "You shouldn't laugh so hard when you know you're about to die soon."

Raising her fists, she flew at him from the ground and threw punches furiously in every direction; eventually, she missed and gave him the opportunity to punch her in the back.

Her body hit the ground at full force and air escaped from her lungs. Desperately she tried to stand again, but the merciless man smashed his foot down into her spine.

Summoning up a ball of orange demon energy in the palm of his hand, he smiled and said, "Goodbye, Shiori," before firing.

As fast as possible, Hiei ran and kicked the man in the face as he fired his last attack. The ground where Shiori's body once resided now held a crater.

"You Bastard!" He slammed his fists into the mans face and his body crashed to the snow.

"What's the matter boy? Not hot enough for you," he laughed.

"I'll show you hot. Dragon of the darkness flame!"

Shiori's stepfather's eyes bulged out of his head at the mere sight of Hiei's most powerful attack and held up his hands as though they would protect him. The dragon easily snatched up the mans body and set it ablaze before it devoured him completely and disappeared.

Hiei searched for any sign of Shiori's body and found her crawling towards the edge of a cliff. He followed the bloody trail of snow until he came across her cold, wet, and damp body.

"I'm willing to save you if you're willing to save yourself," he declared, towering over her.

She slowly opened her eyes and reached a hand out to him.

"Tell Uki…that…I'm sorry for being…so selfish," she whispered breathlessly as her body fell limp.

"You can tell her yourself," he said, taking the bandages off his right hand.

"You can't die yet," he shouted and removed his sword from it's sheath.

"You stupid bitch, you can't die. I haven't had my turn to fight you; if you're going to die it'll be by my hands. Do you hear me?"

He tore the clothing around her naval, sliced his hand with the blade of his weapon, and knelt down next to her. Giving everything he had left he pressed his palm tightly against her skin and unleashed the darkness flame into her body.

Her hair flared up around her and her body turned a pink color before a yellow orb shot out. Hiei pushed a little harder and removed his bloody hand from her skin. He gave her a bit more than he intended to, including some of his life energy and collapsed next to her with one arm draped across her stomach.

Shiori awoke alive and very cold with only a small portion of warmth around her waist to greet her. After sitting up, the warmth fell and she looked down to see Hiei's arm now in her lap.

Blushing in embarrassment she moved his hand and checked him to make sure he was still alive. His body felt colder than hers was, so she picked him up and began walking. Ever so slowly she began the journey back to his shrine, catching a cab once she made it to town.

She didn't have her powers anymore, so there was no more running at unusually fast speeds, but there was most certainly no long distance walks with a dead weight boy as her luggage.

"I didn't think anyone lived out here, Miss," said the cab driver as he drove up the winding hillside.

"Well, that's just how we like things. Peaceful and secluded," she replied while looking down at the boy in her arms. 'That's how he likes it.'

She couldn't help feeling a pang of guilt, considering the entire thing had been her fault. Once inside the house she rested Hiei in the same bed she had preoccupied only a day ago.

It was freezing inside too, so she lit the fire to at least heat the room. She shivered in her clothing and realized that both she and Hiei were at risk of catching hypothermia. 'Oh, man. I don't want to do this,' she screamed mentally.

Disregarding the thought she searched for extra clothes in the room, but all she found was blankets.

She sat Hiei upright and peeled the dethawing shirt off of him and then laid him back down. Reaching for the hem of his pants, she paused momentarily.

"I'm not a pervert, but I need to remove your wet clothes or you'll get sick," she informed.

Sighing heavily she pulled his pants down and off his body to reveal boxers. Relief washed over her and she let out a breath she was holding.

"Those can stay on," she laughed and pulled a blanket up to his chest.

It wasn't until now that she noticed his bandages were gone, leaving slightly charred skin in its wake. She touched his arm lightly; his skin was still cold.

"I'm sorry, Hiei," she apologized quietly.

A cold droplet of water fell from the edge of her shirt onto her hand and then she remembered she was still soaking wet.

Standing, she grabbed Hiei's clothes and set them on the floor to dry in front of the fire. From there she moved to a corner in the room and stripped herself of her clothing with the exception of her underwear, and then proceeded to wrap a blanket around herself.

Within a few hours time her hair and Hiei's clothes had nearly dried completely. Comforted by the warmth of the room Shiori snuggled into the furthest corner and slipped into darkness.

Hiei awoke with a start a few hours later. It was still dark out and snow was falling very lightly outside the window.

'Where is Shiori?' came to his mind. He found her where she had fallen asleep in the corner with a blanket wrapped tightly around her.

He glanced around the room when his eyes landed on his clothing in front of the fire. 'No wonder I'm so damn cold,' he thought, looking down at himself. 'Hell, she might as well have taken it all off.'

Lying back down, a small, twisted small came to his lips. 'Mine now.'

Mid day, when he woke, he was alone, again.

He groaned and stood stiffly. The blanket fell around his feet when he stretched and it brought a crude grin to his face when he looked down. 'Damn that woman.'


	3. A cross of flames

Yukina dropped her cup of tea and rushed to embrace her friend.

"You're alive!" She exclaimed.

"And well," Shiori added.

"Does this mean my brother saved you? My, I'm so happy!"

Shiori smiled and shook her head.

"I owe him my life, but I can't bring myself to face him again," she admitted.

"You'll come around. Who knows, the way he's been acting lately, he might not let you go."

"What do you mean?"

Yukina laughed, "I mean that you two could be together some day."

"I have to say that the ass has grown on me, but this is Hiei, I shouldn't become anymore attached then I am. I doubt he plans to see me ever again. Besides, I'm no longer a threat to him; I have no powers now," she reminded.

"True, but even if you refuse to see him again, you'll still come to visit me, right?"

"Well, yeah of coarse. I'm not going to stop my friendship with you to avoid him. But on that note, I should probably go back to school. I haven't been there in a long, long time," Shiori laughed nervously.

"You better get going then. You're coming for Christmas, right? Party and all?"

"I almost forgot about that, but yes I'm coming. You're the closest thing I have to family now. I'll see you in a few days," she smiled and walked out the door.

Shiori showed up to school right at the end of her fifth period class and headed off to lunch. It was too cold to sit outside, not that anyone would let her out anyways, so she decided to sit on the upper floor and closest to the wide window.

The view wasn't bad. She could see her usual seat outside, and since she never really ate lunch it was new to be in the cafeteria at all.

She pulled out a booklet on algebraic equations when someone she recognized approached the table where she sat. The person stood there silently and without looking up she said, "I'm not moving if that's what you want."

"Actually," the boy started, "I came to ask you on a date."

Shiori looked up at the boy in irritation.

"After saying "no" about a million times already, what makes you think this time will be any different, Sato?"

"Oh," he purred, running a finger down her arm, "I think a little force could persuade you."

Shiori slapped his hand away from her, stood up, and took in his appearance angrily. He was taller than she by at least two feet, which in her opinion meant nothing; however, his decently toned body was different story.

Dread filled her inner being until she looked at his hair again. It was slicked back like someone had just spit a hawker in it and was combed back. Any bad thoughts that had entered her mind vanished instantly. He was pathetic.

"Sorry, Sato, but I think I can handle myself," she replied and walked past him.

The large boy gripped her shoulder painfully and spun her around.

"I don't think so, Shiori. I always get what I want," he squeezed harder.

Shiori grimaced as thoughts swam through her mind. 'Where is Hiei when I need him? –No, I can take this guy.'

Smiling sweetly she formed a fist at her side, ready to knock Sato out. Something outside caught her attention. Only for an instant did she look at him, his eyes vigilantly watching her as she clenched her fingers.

She broke eye contact with him and returned her attention back to Sato. Without warning, Shiori dropped to the ground, kicked Sato's feet out from underneath him, and then brought her foot down on his delicates before standing and leaving the cafeteria.

'Stupid boys.'

Christmas eve had arrived quickly and when Shiori showed up Yukina and Genkai were entertaining guests.

"Shiori!" Yukina greeted with a hug. "I'm happy to see you! I have great news!"

Shiori smiled brightly, knowing that it could have been one of two things, or maybe even both.

"What?"

Yukina laughed happily and finally couldn't hold the suspense.

"Kuwabara proposed, and," she paused to breath, "I'm pregnant with twins!"

The two girls jumped up and down in excitement.

"Congratulations, Yukina! I'm so happy for the two of you."

"Thanks. Let's go upstairs so I can tell you about their names," the blue haired girl said, glancing around.

"I take it you don't want Kuwabara to know yet?" Shiori raised an eyebrow.

"Oh, he already knows about the kids, but I told him that I was the one going to pick the names. I don't want him to know those. The others are upstairs already. Come on!!"

Both girls laughed again and took off up the two flights of stairs.

Sitting with his friends, Hiei watched what had just transpired between his sister and her friend through a crowd of people. He had never seen her so happy before, either of them for that matter. 'Did a proposal and carrying children really make women that happy?' He shook his head and decided not to think about it, and instead he eavesdropped on his friend and soon to be brother-in-law.

"Yeah, Yukina won't tell me what she plans to name the little rascals, but I figured I'd just get it out of Shizuru later," Kuwabara had said.

"I could always pump it out of Keiko, if you know what I mean," Yusuke grinned.

"It's not nice to say things like that, Yurameshi. If she hears you talking like that, she might not want to marry you."

"Awe I was only kidding. We haven't done anything anyways. She wants to wait till after we're married. She knows I love her, and waiting for her is the least I can do for making her wait for me all of those years."

"Yeah, the least," Kuwabara mumbled under his breath.

"And speaking of women. Yo, Hiei, what happened to your stalking job?" Yusuke turned to him.

Acting as though he hadn't heard he continued to lean against the wall.

"She's here," Koenma piped up.

Hiei glared at him.

"Who is she?" Kuwabara asked.

"She's Shiori," Kurama said, appearing out of nowhere, smiling.

"Shiori?" Yusuke and Kuwabara asked in unison.

"I hate you two," Hiei grumbled, directing his comment at Koenma and Kurama.

"She was the powerful human?" Yusuke questioned.

"Yep!" Koenma answered.

"You rascal," Yusuke said, wrapping his arm around Hiei's neck and ruffling his hair. "You could have told us it was her. If she's powerful, maybe you two could hook up," he teased.

"Don't make me hurt you, Yusuke," he snarled and escaped his friends grasp.

"Go talk to her," Koenma said, knowing full well that he wanted too.

Hiei glared death daggers at the pacifier boy and angrily replied, "I don't think so."

"If I may make a suggestion," Kurama offered, earning him a glare as well. "You could at least go let her know you're here. The girls can't fully enjoy themselves if she's on guard all night. And I say that on behalf of Shizuru, she deserves to have fun tonight."

"Whatever," Hiei retorted and made his way across the sea of people, starting up the stairs.

"So how about the name Shinta if it's a boy and Ayumi if it's a girl," Botan suggested.

"Hmm… I do like both names, but I was thinking about Sanosuke and Hitari," Yukina informed.

"Well, I think it's silly to think about names now, you have like, eight months to do it," Shizuru said drunkenly.

"I think it's wonderful," Keiko beamed.

"It truly is," Yukina smiled. "But on a different topic, did you ever find out who that stalker of yours was, Shiori?"

"Shiori had a stalker?" Keiko and Shizuru asked in horror.

Shiori smiled sheepishly while Botan just smiled.

"Well, about that Uki…" Shiori trailed off.

"Yeah?" Her friend pressed.

"As it turns out, it was Hiei who was following me."

"No way!" she exclaimed.

Shiori only shook her head.

"I can't believe it," Yukina laughed.

"Go talk to him," Botan insisted.

"He's here? Oh- no. I can't," Shiori spoke softly.

"Sure you can girly. You're the prettiest girl I've seen since these three. That boy would have to be a fool not to think so," Shizuru slurred.

A sweat drop rolled down the four mentioned girls and they looked at each other.

"Go," Yukina urged. "We'll come with you."

"Okay," Shiori agreed and stood up. The others followed her, including Shizuru who needed support from Botan. They left Yukina's bedroom and entered the crowded hall.

"Who are all of these people?" Keiko shouted over the noise.

"Old friends of Genkai supposedly," Yukina shouted back.

Shiori rounded a corner and began descending the stairs while in the middle of a conversation with Keiko.

"She certainly has enough, doesn't she?" she said, taking another step.

"Yeah," Keiko agreed.

Shiori turned to pay attention too late when her foot landed on a round object and fell forward off the last step. Her body collided with someone else's in mid fall and she found herself barley standing at the base of one staircase and in Hiei's arms.

"I'm so-sorry…" she trailed off, caught in his gaze.

She cleared her throat and stood up straight, then apologized again. "I'm sorry."

Hiei began to speak; "I―" and someone interrupted him.

"Mistletoe! Kiss her!"

Both Shiori and Hiei froze where they stood as the mostly drunk crowed chanted, "Kiss, kiss, kiss," and looked up to see mistletoe mocking them from above.

They locked gazes again and started to lean towards each other. He could hear her heart beating rapidly and smirked before moving away slightly.

"I don't follow holiday traditions," he declared, crossing his arms.

Shiori moved closer to him and lightly touched his cheek. She drew closer to his face and whispered into his ear.

"Guess what?" She smirked and pulled back far enough to hold his gaze one more time.

"What?" He asked huskily, mesmerized by her touch.

Her smirk grew into a full smile and she cupped his cheek in one hand. Using the other, she ran her index finger across his bottom lip and then kissed him softly before pulling back to finish her sentence.

"Neither do I."

He stood there dumbfounded as the group of people cheered and as she walked past him.

"You okay?" Yukina stopped to ask, Keiko and the others joining the boys.

"She kissed me," he stammered.

His sister smiled at him. "She loves you."

"But, then-. Why does she keep running away?"

Yukina sighed heavily, "You haven't shown her how you feel."

"I saved her, didn't I?" He defended.

"Hiei, there is a void in your heart that even I as your sister can not fill. You may be angry at the way your life has been, but by pushing people away from you, you force them to abandon you. Don't let it happen with Shiori, she needs to save you now."

"Wh─"

"When your sister gives you advice and drops a hint that you should follow her, you should do as she says, you twit," Genkai interrupted.

"Now get the hell out of my house and go get her," she added before downing a bottle of sake.

A small but noticeable smiled played on his lips. 'I've been the fool all along.' He kissed his sisters forehead, whispered a "Thank you" and left quickly.

Once outside he followed the footsteps down to the beach and played with a small box inside his pocket. The tingling feeling from the touch of her lips still remained on his, even now as he walked in the cold.

He trailed her footsteps at a slow pace up until the point he noticed blood, and then rushed after her. Eventually her screams became audible, as did the voice of a man. When he was close enough, the sight in front of him peaked his temper and sent him into fit of anger. Hiei pushed the yelling man away and examined her.

The shirt she was wearing was slightly torn, as were her jeans around her thighs. He observed her pull her knees to her chest and wrap one arm around them when he noticed forming bruises and the scars on her head dripping blood.

"Are you bleeding anywhere else?" He asked, shaking her shoulders slightly.

The man he pushed was coming back with a broken arrow in one hand and a knife in the other. It took a second to register just who the guy was.

He remembered back to the other day Shiori had left him nearly naked and…well, full of energy. It was the same day he followed her to school and witnessed her kick the guy where it hurts. Obviously this was the man's revenge.

The man came at Hiei with everything he had, but Hiei easily dodged and returned with a strike to neck; leaving the school boy unconscious.

Woundless, Hiei picked the fallen Shiori up bridal style and took a few steps before feeling something warm trickle down his arm. He set her back down and saw blood seeping out of a wound in her side. He touched it lightly and she flinched.

"Why didn't you say something?"

"Co-cold," she stuttered.

"I'm taking you to Genkai's," he announced, picking her up again.

"Hiei, no. You'll ruin the party and scare everyone," she breathed.

"I don't care. You're injured."

"Please, don't," she begged.

"Then where do you suggest I take you?" He asked in frustration.

"Home. Your…house," she said sleepily. "Take a cab. It'll be warmer," she yawned.

"I'll have to remove your clothing again, you know," he informed.

"I don-don't care."

"Your body has me going crazy. I might not be able to resist taking advantage of you this time," he tried to persuade her.

"I trust you," she whispered clearly and fell unconscious.

He smiled down at her angelic form; bruised or not, she was still beautiful. Doing as she asked, he took a cab to his house on the mountainside and got her inside as quick as possible.

He lit a fire and quickly stripped her of the bloody and wet clothes to tend to her wounds. Her body was fully exposed to him and he found it difficult to keep his hands from roaming all over her.

The head of a small arrow was what he found lodged inside her skin and he tore it out with little patience. Using the ointment he had used the last time, he applied a thick layer and then proceeded to wrap a bandage all the way around her.

He draped a blanket over her to keep her warm, if not only to keep him from further temptation. Awkwardly enough he moved her body in front of his so she could lean against him as he lean against the wall.

Her hair looked black in the dark and he twisted a long strand between his fingers. Cradling her head with his shoulder, he brushed random strands and her bangs out of her face to reveal two bloody scrapes where her scars had once been.

'That bastard,' he thought.

He lowered his head to gently run his tongue across the abrasions and lapped up all the excess blood. A metallic, coppery flavor covered his taste buds, but he savored every second of it before drawing her closer to him and drifting off to sleep.

It was light out when he woke again, but this time Shiori was still in his grasp. She snuggled against his warmth when he moved, still asleep, and he set her back on the futon. He needed to think.

It would have been so easy to over power her as she slept, but it would have been just as effortless if she were awake. She wasn't powerful anymore, no longer a threat to him; he could kill her now, if he wanted.

He paced the outside deck.

She was still the same feisty girl he had been sent to track, besides the lack of powers now, wasn't she? That had been his fault anyways, technically, right? Why did it matter? Why did I rescue her at the cost of my own life? Was it because I pitied her, or did it have something to do with Yukina being her friend? No. Shiori was just like me, forced to fight the evils in her life by herself. Abandoned. That's why I did it. It is because we are the same in more ways than one, and yet so different. It is because she is the one who fills the void in my heart and ignites new fires, emotions I've never felt before. It is because… we are each other's flame.

The day drew to a close and he had just finished redressing her wounds. She had yet to wake and he found himself wishing she would.

He sat cross-legged in front of the fire as he entered a flashback from earlier that day.

The phone rang after his little inner battle. It had been Yukina calling to see if everything was all right since they never returned to the party, and to see if Shiori was there. Of course Hiei told her what had happened.

"Shiori was attacked yesterday."

"Is she going to be okay?" Yukina's voice sounded stressed.

"She's safe now," he told her, but thought, 'At least from others.'

"How bad are her injuries?"

"Just a puncture in the side. I assure you she's fine," he claimed.

"Please take care of her, Hiei."

"Right."

"I'll come by tomorrow to check on her," Yukina said more to herself.

"I'll be expecting you."

"Bye, Hiei, and Merry Christmas," he remembered.

"Hiei."

The sound of his name brought him back to reality and he turned to face the voices owner.

"You're awake," he pointed out.

She only nodded and pulled the blanket tighter.

"Are you cold?" He asked, noticing. He moved to sit next to her.

"No," she muttered as he sat down.

"Then what is it?"

"I," she paused. "I'm embarrassed."

Humor was evident in his eyes, "Why?"

Catching on, she glared at him. "Probably because some pervert has been looking at my body for who knows how long. And to top it off," she lowered her voice, "you've saved me three times now. I should have been able to do it myself," she turned away in shame.

"Don't be foolish," he said and grabbed her chin to force her to look at him. "Some good has come from this."

Shiori didn't understand and raised an eyebrow.

"Are you being a pervert again?"

He grinned but didn't say anything for a while.

"I have a gift for you," he announced finally, reaching into his pocket.

"What is it?" She asked, taking it from him.

"Just open it," he said uncomfortably.

She opened the small black box and nearly dropped what was inside.

"Hiei, I don't understand," she stuttered.

He took the small ring and slipped it onto her left hand.

"I'm not very familiar with human traditions, but I believe they call this a marriage proposal. You can accept it or not. I don't care because either way you're not leaving this house again unless I give you permission.

"You want me to stay with you?" She asked, holding his hand with one of hers and caressed his cheek with the other.

His eyes nearly rolled into the back of his head when she touched him, it was torture. He forced himself to speak and it came out a gruffly whisper. "I want more than that. I want your entire being. I want you."

He closed his eyes again as she stroked his neck and she could tell it was driving him crazy. She cupped his face and kissed him softly, like before, and pulled away.

His eyes were still closed and she smiled to herself before kissing his collarbone and taking his hand. She was in control. 'But probably not for long,' she thought.

Hiei growled low in his throat and tilted his head back for better access.

She knew it was cruel, but as she planted kisses she lightly brushed the inner sides of his thighs and rested his hand on her side above the wound.

"Is this what you want," she teased.

Hiei lowered his head again and slowly opened his eyes to expose the lust, want, and _need_, he had stored and he growled out, "My turn."

He gently kissed her, lied her down, cautious of her injury, and pushed the blanket away.

Now completely flat on her back, Shiori grasped the back of his head and deepened the kiss. Hiei ran his hands up and down her body carefully and straddled her. Breaking the kiss he looked down at her in hunger.

"All those men who wanted you made me want you even more. If you don't want to go through with this tell me now or I─"

"Hiei, just shut up and enjoy yourself. I want twins like Yukina," Shiori laughed up at him.

He smirked down at her and replied, "You've got it," before kissing her again.

Shiori helped him shrug out of his shirt as they continued their battle of tongues and moved her hands down to his pants. She untied the knot that caged his manhood and gripped his throbbing member.

Hiei stopped momentarily to remove the lingering articles of clothing and repositioned himself on top of her.

He spoke hoarsely, "You can't be a virgin."

"She gripped his member again and tugged gently before stroking him.

"Sorry to disappoint you," she said sadly.

Hiei leaned forward and nipped at the pulse in her neck. "You're not," he whispered.

He ran a finger down the fold of her innocence before tweaking her sensitive area ever so slightly and she arched her back out of reflex.

"Hiei…" She stammered.

The way she said his name spiked a new level of desire and he sank his fingers into her core. She bucked her hips at the action and ran the pad of her thumb over the head of his erection before squeezing him firmly. He thrust into her hand and removed his from inside of her.

"Revengeful, aren't you?" He purred.

"I'm trying to please you," she cooed back.

"You're doing a fine job," he smirked and licked his fingers.

She squeezed him again and he couldn't help the seeping liquid from coming out.

"Are you ready?" He asked, spreading her thighs and moving between them.

"Wait." She sat up with him still sitting between her.

"What are you doing?" He watched her lean forward. Her hair fell around her face and shadowed himself from view. The feel of her hair draped around him made him squeeze his stomach muscles to try to prevent his release from occurring to early. She kissed his head lightly and used her lips lap up his essence before she sat up and grinned.

He growled and pushed her on her back and positioned himself at her entrance. He kissed her naval and brushed against her insides teasingly.

"Hiei… that's not fair," she moaned.

"Well, what I'm about to do isn't going to be fair either," he said, teasing her again.

"I know it hurts a little the first time," she moaned, "but let's just get it over with."

He kissed her belly button again and eased his way into her. Tears prick her eyes but she ignored the pain after he stopped and rocked her hips against him.

"Take the time to adjust," he soothed.

"I think you're going to break me," she muttered and rocked her hips again, completely ignoring him.

"You can't carry me children if that happens," he moaned and pulled out.

"Like hell I won't," she gasped and slammed against him.

He bit his lip at the agonizingly slow pace.

"Faster," she said, raking her nails down his back.

He did as she wished and pulled out before slamming back into her again at a quickened paced. She picked up the rhythm of his thrusts and met him at every contact point.

"Hiei…" she moaned again.

"Almost there," he grunted.

He slammed into her one more time as they reached their climaxes and her inner walls milked him for all he was worth.

Breathless, he kissed her roughly and retreated from her body to lie next to her. He grabbed a blanket, wrapped it around both of them, and Shiori wrapped an arm around his torso.

"If you don't get pregnant right away, I'm not going to complain," he whispered and kissed her forehead.

"Do you really want to marry me? I mean do you really want a family?" She asked sadly.

He hugged her to him and decided to explain as best he could.

"Shiori, this is difficult for me to explain," he warned.

"I know. It's okay if you don't…love me. If I'm just a partner for your needs, I can deal with that because I love you," she admitted.

"Shiori, you're such a fool."

"But, I'm weak now. I can't even save myself," she whimpered.

"I've never felt this way before, but you're not just a pleasure partner. I want to start a family with you. You're not weak either. You've saved my life today by merely accepting me."

"I don't understand."

Hiei smiled down at her and planted kisses along her neck.

"We were both abandoned and left to face the world alone, but now that we've crossed paths we can start a new life. Together. Besides, I marked you when I freed you from that curse," he informed, becoming aroused all over again.

"Really?" She toyed with him.

"Really," he whispered hoarsely.

"With fire…"She trailed off.

"Yes," he kissed her ear.

"A cross of flames," she smiled.

"A cross of flames," he repeated.


End file.
